The American Legislative Exchange Council

I first read about The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) regarding Arizona’s new Immigration Law AB1070. ALEC was listed as it’s primary author, and poking around I started seeing a lot of information about this group that describes itself as a “nonpartisan membership association for conservative state lawmakers who share a common belief in limited government, free markets, federalism, and individual liberty”, and although ALEC bills itself as bi-partisan, all it’s legislative members are Republican.

What I found alarming at first glance, is that the Corrections Corporation of America, who stood to profit from an increase in detaining (jailing) immigrants, is a Member of ALEC and was present when ‘model’ immigration laws (such as AB1070) were introduced to other ALEC Members who are legislators. No pretenses here, just straight-forward corporate business development…

So, a little history here, summarized due to nausea:

One of the founders of ALEC, Paul Weyrich, expressed frustration with the lack of traction the Lewinsky Scandal generated against liberals (and Democratic President Clinton) in a 1999 letter: “I think that we have to look at a whole series of possibilities for bypassing the institutions that are controlled by the enemy.” The ‘enemy’ he refers to, I believe, are sectarian Politicians, Judges, Democrats and Liberals, and apparently deception, misinformation and divisiveness are some of the ‘possibilities’.

ALEC boasts “Each year approximately 800 bills are introduced in the states which are based in whole or in part on ALEC model legislation. Annually, about 20% of these introduced bills become law.” Taking a look at these bills reveals what appears to be a consistent attempt to inject a mix of Moral Laws1 (e.g.; Abortion: Another of ALEC’s founders is Henry Hyde — known for pressing the amendment that Federal Funds never be used for Abortions) and rules supporting a free market with little regulation.

ALEC’s real interests seem to be in what most would refer to as a Theocracy2, and the fuel for this venture is from their willingness to sell out anything that stands in the way. Paul Weyrich died on December 18, 2008, aged 66, at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax, VA, but ALEC appears to be successfully carrying on his intent.

“The real enemy is the secular humanist mindset which seeks to destroy everything that is good in this society.” – “The Rights and Wrongs of the Religious Right”, Freedom Writer, Institute for First Amendment Studies, October 1995. [↩]